Microsoft was established in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen and is headquartered in Redmond, Washington. It has grown from developing the Windows operating system and Office software suite to providing a wide range of products and cloud services. Microsoft's mission is to help people and businesses realize their full potential through its operating systems, software, internet tools, gaming consoles, and other technologies. However, it faces strengths weaknesses like name recognition and rapid innovation balanced against not initially recognizing the internet's growth and facing legal battles over antitrust issues.